The script was previously set up at Disney, but Millennium, which has had great success with action films such as its Expendables franchise and Olympus Has Fallen, sparked to the project, which has been described as a water-themed Fast and Furious.

The script is based on the operations of the pirates in Asia’s South China Sea, where freighters are boarded, repainted, renamed and reflagged by buccaneers, who then pull into ports and drive off with the goods.

The story centers on a detective who must team up with an American expat on death row to track down the American’s son, who stole a ship that was already stolen and was being used by Triad gangs.

The project was initially conceived at Disney as an action movie for its more adult-oriented Touchstone banner. The banner is long gone, and Sea sat on the shelf for the last several years.

Gunn is no stranger to China. He spent years developing The Order of the Seven, an Asian action project initially based on the Snow White fairy tale. The project came close to going, with Michael Gracey directing and Saoirse Ronan starring, but had its plug pulled at the last moment.

Williamson co-wrote Summit’s thriller Alex Cross, which starred Tyler Perry and Matthew Fox. Among her projects in development is Heist, an action thriller based on the alleged criminal exploits of Ultimate Fighting Championship competitor "Lightning" Lee Murray. Heist is set up at Universal, with Gareth Edwards attached to direct.